Tools are widely used to perform many different functions. For example, tools are used to cut any number of different materials such as hair, clothing, electrical wire, paper, flowers, tree branches, wood products, metal products, carpeting, food, etc. In addition, a variety of tools may be used to perform the functions of scraping, screwing, sawing, hammering, rasping, puncturing, filing, grasping, etc. In order to increase performance, the tool art has become highly specialized so that a different type of tool may be used to best perform each of the above mentioned operations and functions. More particularly, standard garden shears may be used to cut tree branches, prune plants or cut flowers. A scissors may be used for ordinary cutting operations while scissors having a more precision type blade may be used to cut hair or clothing. A hammer or mallet may be used to drive nails. A file may be used to grind metal and wood. A wrench may be used for grasping pipes and bolts. A screwdriver may be used for driving screws. An awl may be used for puncturing holes, etc.
There is known a variety of tools which include a replaceable cutting blade, for example, utility knives used by contractors for various trimming operations and a flush cutter as disclosed in Gamba, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,096. Common in each of the aforementioned tools is a blade holder assembly operative to enable attachment of the cutting blade to the handle to enable use of the tool, while at the same time, enabling ready removal of the cutting blade when the need for replacement arises, e.g., when the blade becomes worn or broken. In this regard, a blade holder assembly must satisfy two competing objectives, i.e., securing the cutting blade for use while enabling its ready replacement. Although there is known tool handle assemblies which attempt to meet each of these objectives, they typically do not achieve both objectives equally well.
There is also known a variety of tools which perform specific functions, for example, as noted hereinabove. In order to allow use of these tools, each tool includes a working end and a supporting handle portion. The handle supporting portion is often constructed from rigid materials in order to be sufficiently sturdy to meet the functional needs of the tool. This can result in the tool being expensive to manufacture, particularly, when different types of tools include the same handle construction. It would therefore be desirable to construct a tool handle which would meet the demands of the user in a variety of applications by enabling the tool to be replaced with another tool having the same or different function. In this manner, a single tool handle could suffice for use with a plurality of interchangeable tools.